Chapter 18
Click.
I quietly closed the door to the empty room behind me.
Despite my bewildered reaction, Hias hadn’t cared at all. He had quickly packed his things and rushed out ahead of me. Not only did we skip class, but during the entire time we were together, he seemed completely lost in his own world. In the end, he left me alone in the room and disappeared.
He had dumped a load of words on me one-sidedly and vanished, leaving me to sit in the empty room for quite a while, blinking and dazed. When I finally snapped out of it and stepped into the hallway, it was dead silent—no sign of anyone around.
Before leaving the room, I had checked the time—it was nearly 4:30. Too early for dinner, and way too early for bed.
‘What should I do now?’
Today’s schedule seemed to be over. No one had told me otherwise.
I walked alone down the empty hallway, dragging my feet. Just as I reached the end of the stairs, I spotted Kaiden coming up from below.
I considered quietly waiting for him to reach me, but instead leaned over the railing and called out loudly.
“Kaiden oppa!”
Startled by the sudden call, Kaiden froze in place. He looked around in all directions, trying to figure out where the voice had come from.
Soon, his eyes widened when he spotted me hanging up above. He had been walking briskly, but when he saw my short legs dangling from the railing, his expression twisted into a grimace.
Letting out a deep sigh, Kaiden immediately broke into a run.
It didn’t take long before he appeared in front of me. Catching his breath, he scolded me sharply.
“Hah… What… are you doing up there…? That’s dangerous!”
He looked genuinely angry.
“Come down. Now.”
At his firm tone, I glanced down at the hand I had wrapped around the railing. In that moment, a fuzzy memory flashed through my mind, overlapping with the current situation.
‘Have I… hung off this railing before?’
An odd sense of déjà vu made me linger a bit longer before finally climbing down. Then, turning toward Kaiden—who was bent over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath—I gave a bright smile and said,
“Me? I was waiting for you, oppa.”
Kaiden slumped to the ground as if all the strength had drained from his body.
He didn’t look good at all. His complexion was pale, and he seemed to be sweating coldly.
Worried, I reached out to him and asked,
“You okay?”
Kaiden stared blankly at my outstretched hand. He didn’t move. Even though I was offering my hand, he just froze, not even trying to take it.
‘I guess he’s not going to take it.’
“You must’ve been really scared. I won’t pull a prank like that again.”
Embarrassed by his stare, I started to pull my hand back—just as he grabbed it tightly. As Kaiden stood up, the momentum caused my body to sway toward him.
He pulled my wobbling form into a hug. Completely caught off guard, I blinked in confusion and stayed still in his arms.
‘Wait, isn’t this kind of… weird-looking? I mean, we’re just kids… right?’
Surely this genre isn’t about forbidden love, right…? That would be 100% angst…!
Panicking at the mere possibility, I started to wriggle in his embrace, trying to get away.
‘Let go, you fool! This could change the genre…!’
The more I squirmed, the tighter Kaiden held me. That’s when I finally realized—he was trembling.
‘He’s shaking…?’
Kaiden silently held me as he trembled.
He must’ve genuinely thought I would fall from the stairs and get hurt. Now I just felt guilty.
A nine-year-old kid was silently overwhelmed with fear. I couldn’t help but think of my much younger sibling back in the real world.
I stopped struggling and focused on checking Kaiden’s condition.
His hands were shaking as he held onto me, and his eyes were unfocused. Even when I tried to pull away, his grip tightened.
I could hear his heart pounding against my chest, loud and fast with anxiety.
His hands, wrapped around my back, were drenched with sweat. He clutched at my clothes as if his hands were slipping.
When I glanced at his eyes again, I saw that his pupils were trembling. His focus had returned, but he still needed more time to fully recover.
He was even having trouble breathing. Above me, I could hear Kaiden’s wheezing breaths.
I gently patted his back and stayed in his embrace.
Had he experienced something so traumatic that even remembering it caused him to panic? Had someone fallen from that railing before?
‘Could it have been Kaiden?’
I pushed aside the rush of possible explanations flooding my mind.
As I continued to pat his back, Kaiden’s trembling gradually subsided. It seemed to help.
Only after he had completely calmed down did he finally let me go.
Before his trigger could be pulled again, I quietly took his hand and led him away from the stairs. That was the kindest thing I could do for him.
‘I wanted to kill time and get closer to Kaiden, but now that’s totally ruined.’
We walked silently down the hallway, and even when we reached Kaiden’s room, neither of us said a word.
Standing at his door, I let go of his hand and spoke.
“Oppa, go rest now. I’m busy, so I’ll head off first.”
It didn’t feel right to suggest we play together in this mood, so I decided to just leave.
Just as I was turning to go, Kaiden muttered,
“…Where are you going?”
I glanced around and replied,
“Uh… I have plans with Rashid.”
A total lie, of course.
“Rashid?”
“Yeah, Prince Bacarys.”
Kaiden’s brows furrowed. His voice trembled slightly, as if trying to suppress his anger.
“What does he want?”
I blinked, confused by his reaction.
‘Are they not on good terms?’
I didn’t answer, and Kaiden called my name.
“Lacetia.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t get too close to him.”
I didn’t understand what he meant, but I nodded silently. Only then did Kaiden’s frown ease.
He gestured for me to go, then entered his room. I glanced briefly at the firmly closed door before walking away.
As I made my way toward Rashid’s room, my mind was swirling.
‘Why would a 9-year-old react like that to seeing someone hanging from a railing?’
Kaiden had definitely seemed off. He looked terrified—but also confused about why he was scared.
After seeing me on the railing, he’d gone into full panic. Even when I kept calling his name, he hadn’t responded—just shook uncontrollably.
I think I even heard him mutter something like, “It’s my fault…”
‘Even when I reached out to him, he was staring at the floor…’
I shook my head, trying to stop the spiraling thoughts.
There was no way I could figure this out just by thinking, so I buried my worries for later.
‘Anyway, where’s Rashid’s room again?’
Looking around for his room, I spotted a passing maid and asked,
“Where’s Prince Bacarys’s room?”
The maid glanced at my tiny hand clutching her skirt and replied,
“Go straight down this way—his room is just to the left of the vase you’ll see.”
“Thanks.”
I was about to head off when Kaiden’s trembling face came to mind again. I tried to brush it off, but it kept bothering me.
In the end, I stopped and turned back to the maid.
“Could you bring Kaiden oppa some warm tea or heated milk? Just tell him I sent it—he’ll understand.”
The maid looked puzzled by the sudden request but nodded quickly. Then, still lingering awkwardly, she asked,
“Young miss, would you like me to escort you to Prince Bacarys’s room?”
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
What the heck? Why is she looking at me like that? That’s intense.
When I didn’t answer and took a hesitant step back, she clasped her hands over her chest and looked at me with pleading eyes.
“Please let me take you!”
She was so desperate that I couldn’t help but nod. The moment I agreed, she perked up and led the way, glancing back now and then to make sure I was following.
Sure, I looked like a 7-year-old, but this babying treatment was embarrassing. Of course, no one here knew I had the soul of a 24-year-old.
We hadn’t walked far, but during that short time, the maid never stopped chattering.
“I’m so happy you joined the ducal household, miss!”
“…Why?”
“Well, the young masters barely talk, and the Duke—well, you know. After the Madam passed, the atmosphere became even gloomier. And when Lady Rose disappeared, it got even worse—ah!”
Realizing she might’ve said too much, the maid clammed up.
“Anyway, now that an adorable young miss has arrived, the whole manor feels brighter!”
She continued gushing, saying that I’d lightened the mood, that the whole estate felt warmer thanks to me.
‘If she ever took an MBTI test, it’d be EEEE. All capital E.’
Drained by this extrovert’s overflowing energy, I finally arrived at Rashid’s door, practically a zombie. I pushed her gently on the back, telling her to go do her job.
“Young miss! My name is Alie! Please call for me again! I’ll come running whenever you need me!”
Even after delivering her name without being asked, Alie finally departed—with one last longing glance.
“Wow… She really sucked the life out of me…”
